Charles, Duke of Mayenne

Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne (26 March 1554-3 October 1611) was a leader of the Catholic League during the French Wars of Religion. In 1596, he made peace with King Henry IV of France, ending the wars of religion.

Biography
Charles of Lorraine was the son of Francis, Duke of Guise and Anna d'Este, and he was absent from France at the time of the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre in 1572. The next year, he besieged the Huguenot stronghold of La Rochelle, and he became Duke of Mayenne and a Peer of France. He became an energetic supporter of his brother Henry I, Duke of Guise, and the assassination of his brother at Blois in 1588 left him as the leader of the Catholic League. He fought in vain against King Henry IV of France after he assumed power, allying with Spain during the last few years of the French Wars of Religion. However, his defeat at the Battle of Fontaine-Francaise in 1595 spelled the end of the Catholic League, and he was forced to submit to Henry. He died in Soissons in 1611.